Study Nursing in a New Mexico College, University or Online

Become a Licensed RN or LPN

Over a dozen good nursing programs are listed below and there are even more offered via distance education. Geographically, they dot the state. However, New Mexico is a vast state with varying topographies. Most communities are small and rural to remote. This creates a couple of challenges:

How to deliver balanced nursing care in New Mexico when nursing resources are already strained

How to expand nursing education to embrace prospective students in remote and rural areas.

When you consider the short list of schools below don’t overlook any online nursing programs that may now be offered. For example, the University of New Mexico added a distance education program a number of years ago to widen access to students in remote areas of the state. This “Extended University,” as it’s called, builds a stronger economic base, in the end, while it strategically leverages a higher number of nursing grads that can help head-off staffing shortages.

Loan Repayment and Loans for Service Incentives

With the nursing shortage threatening to gut many state healthcare systems you are often able to find a few financially appealing incentive programs:

The NM Nurse Educator Loan-for-Service program is designed to encourage graduate, post-graduate, and doctoral RN Educator students to teach in New Mexico nursing schools. For this commitment, qualified applicants are rewarded with up to $5,000 for loan repayment annually.

The Nurses for New Mexico program is administered by New Mexico Student Loans. If you are a borrower with this company and studying as an LPN or prospective RN, you could qualify for 0% interest on your Stafford Loans when you agree to go to work within the state as a practicing and licensed nurse.

Rural nursing is in high demand in New Mexico and therefore the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program remains a critical resource for primary care health professionals. Eligible Advanced Practice Nurses may qualify to earn up to $35,000 annually in exchange for service in a state designated medically underserved facility—a.k.a. “rural.”

Board of Nursing

As a nursing student you will become acquainted with the New Mexico Board of Nursing. This is THE leading agency responsible for direction of nursing practice and scope within the state, which includes: